Detroit firefighters ordered off ladders on aerial trucks; fleet hasn't been inspected in years

Feb. 3, 2013

Detroit firefighters battle a blaze in June. Fire Commissioner Donald Austin said firefighters will not be allowed on the ladders during water tower operations until the needed inspections are done. / WILLIAM ARCHIE/Detroit Free Press

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Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

Detroit firefighters will not be allowed on the hydraulic ladders on the department's fleet of aerial trucks unless there is an "immediate threat to life" because the trucks haven't undergone safety inspections for years.

Fire Commissioner Donald Austin said firefighters will not be allowed on the ladders during water tower operations until the needed inspections are done.

Austin said the impact on fighting fires will be minimal, but the head of the firefighters union disagreed.

"What this means is, it greatly complicates our work, and it really makes it difficult for any fire that's over a couple stories high," said Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit firefighters union. "It minimizes our ability to put the fire out and also minimizes us to be safe as we're doing ventilation and rescue operations."

Austin said the aerial trucks should be tested or inspected annually and tested every five years for metal fatigue, cracks and stresses.

"We haven't done either," Austin said. "Now that I have knowledge, I'd be remiss if I didn't do something about it."

There are times when firefighters would be allowed to use the hydraulic ladders, but Austin declined to discuss them with the Free Press.

In a statement provided by the city, Austin said, "no aerial ladders will have firefighters on them unless there is an immediate threat to life. If a ladder must be used, every effort will be made to properly support the ladder."

A private contractor will be hired to inspect the equipment, which could be completed in six weeks, he said.

McNamara said the department's 19 ladder trucks are used to quickly get on roofs of commercial buildings and homes. They also are used for rescue work and spraying water on fires.

He said the hydraulic aerial ladders are about 65-100 feet when extended and are used multiple times a day to fight fires.

Without the hydraulic aerial ladders, firefighters will carry saws and axes up an extension ladder, making the work more manual, McNamara said.

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He said he is disappointed that the tests weren't done.

"It's not just our ladders," McNamara said. "The real question should be, 'What else is there that the Fire Department is obligated to inspect and certify and they haven't?' "

It's unclear when the hydraulic aerial ladders were last tested.

"That's my concern," Austin said. "Our record keeping isn't that good on it."

Austin's statement said that the apparatus division's staff once was at 63 people, but now is 26. The time line on the reductions is unclear.

"The reduction in staff, coupled with an aging fleet, presents maintenance challenges," he said.

The department has face several other recent challenges, including its budget being slashed to $160 million this fiscal year -- down $23 million from the previous year. The city's fire companies were reduced from 59 to between 40 and 46 a day, officials previously said.

The department has received grants -- including a $22.5-million federal grant -- to restore firefighter jobs and buy equipment.